LL Salmon

[dakota560]

Have read a lot on the site about the LL Salmon fishery we have in NJ so decided to give it a shot this past week. Ended up hooking up about ten, landing six and had maybe a dozen or more followers that wouldn't commit. One retrieve I actually had four fish follow right to my feet, very cool to see. One of the fish landed was a nice colored up mature male, others we're all very silver. All fish released unharmed for others to enjoy. Great fishery, hope F&G continue their efforts building it. Few pictures attached.

[AndyS]

I would definitely fire up the smoker for a legal limit of LL's !!
Nice catching, cool fish !

[icebadger]

nice land lockers that male is cool also love that giant swivel on that gold phobie spoon. well done.

[Jigman13]

Very very cool. Way to stick em'!

[dakota560]

nice land lockers that male is cool also love that giant swivel on that gold phobie spoon. well done.

Haha.....funny you should mention swivel size. I do more salt than fresh fishing so had to stop to get swivels on my way and that's the smallest size they had. Who knows, maybe that was the ticket!

[Skunk City]

Great coloring on the big one. Any measurement? The Salmon will follow your offering until the very last second. I've had many come up and wack a herring or spoon literally as I'm about to pull it out of the water.

[dakota560]

Great coloring on the big one. Any measurement? The Salmon will follow your offering until the very last second. I've had many come up and wack a herring or spoon literally as I'm about to pull it out of the water.

Didn't measure, was more concerned about getting them back in the water. If I had to guess maybe 18 or 19". Pretty thick and healthy fish, colors were great. You're absolutely right about the follow. Last follow instead of slowing down the retrieve and running out of water I did a figure eight, stopped it, twitched it a few times which triggered a strike and still missed it.

[ALS Mako]

nice catching there and from shore to boot. good work figuring them out.

[JDTuna]

Awesome! Absolutely beautiful fish. That one male is stunning. Bonus getting them from shore!

[FASTEDDIE29]

Way to get em from the shore man!!! Solid action no doubt! Beautiful Salmon for sure! YEA BUDDY!!!:D

[Hookmanski]

dang son! Putting me to shame :( haha when i went out i got 6 or 7 follows right up to the bank but none of them would commit. Way to get em! I gotta go out and try again soon!

[Chrisper4694]

dang son! Putting me to shame :( haha when i went out i got 6 or 7 follows right up to the bank but none of them would commit. Way to get em! I gotta go out and try again soon!

don't worry dude, justin and i went the other day and didn't see a single sign of life haha. I, personally hate shore fishing, I'm done with it after about 10 minutes...I just start wishing i brought a boat haha.

nice job Tom, next time leave some there for me!

[dakota560]

don't worry dude, justin and i went the other day and didn't see a single sign of life haha. I, personally hate shore fishing, I'm done with it after about 10 minutes...I just start wishing i brought a boat haha.

nice job Tom, next time leave some there for me!

Haha......it's tough fishing from land when you're accustomed to a boat for sure. Specially in an area with limited access points.

Left them all there for you guys, everything released. Going to keep trying throughout the winter to see if I can figure out a pattern but more than anything else bait movement I would guess plays a role especially from shore. Lot of surface activity the days I hit them, almost none the days I didn't. I've been there five times now, hit fish three and skunked twice meaning no follows or hits. Both those days condition wise I thought I'd do well but I thought wrong. Every bad trip brings you closer to a good one and as others have said even with bad trips there's something to learn. Based on how many of those I've had, I should have Einstein's IQ by now!

[Hookmanski]

don't worry dude, justin and i went the other day and didn't see a single sign of life haha. I, personally hate shore fishing, I'm done with it after about 10 minutes...I just start wishing i brought a boat haha.

nice job Tom, next time leave some there for me!

I'm getting tired of it too honestly, ive started looking into getting myself an unsinkable tin can, just have to make sure I can transport it around with my civic!

[Troutfishing4life]

Great catch! thanks for releasing them and not being a googan and putting them in the smoker

[Jigman13]

Great catch! thanks for releasing them and not being a googan and putting them in the smoker

How is smoking some salmon googan behavior?

[AndyS]

Stocked salmon going into the smoker is no different than stocked trout going into the smoker.

[Troutfishing4life]

No need to keep freshwater fish. let them swim and have others catch them.

[Jigman13]

No need to keep freshwater fish. let them swim and have others catch them.

Ehhh, if it's legal it's legal. Trout and LL will continue to be stocked. Releasing trophy sized fish I can agree with but smoked samenz are tasty AF.

[akoop]

I'm getting tired of it too honestly, ive started looking into getting myself an unsinkable tin can, just have to make sure I can transport it around with my civic!

Get a kayak!

[Hookmanski]

Get a kayak!

I actually have one already! I love it, but none of my buddies have one nor do they have a way to transport one, so i'm thinking of getting a tincan for when I fish with them. I also dont have a dry suit, so using the sit on top kayak in cold temps is a little risky for me. My girlfriend's dad has a jon boat he never uses, so i may try and rescue that one!

[NJSquatch]

I'm getting tired of it too honestly, ive started looking into getting myself an unsinkable tin can, just have to make sure I can transport it around with my civic!

Going for the Chrisper combo? tin can + civic

[calapp]

I actually have one already! I love it, but none of my buddies have one nor do they have a way to transport one, so i'm thinking of getting a tincan for when I fish with them. I also dont have a dry suit, so using the sit on top kayak in cold temps is a little risky for me. My girlfriend's dad has a jon boat he never uses, so i may try and rescue that one!

If you are fishing the lake I am thinking of, how are you going to reach the water with an aluminum boat? The last time I was there (a few years ago) a fence prevented any sort of trailer access.

[NorthJerzyG]

If you are fishing the lake I am thinking of, how are you going to reach the water with an aluminum boat? The last time I was there (a few years ago) a fence prevented any sort of trailer access.

It's very simple actually, you carry it to the water. Or, drag it. I've done it before. It takes a couple trips with all the gear but I wasn't disappointed at the end of the day........... :D

[acaravaglia]

Love the catch and release

[UglyStick]

Stocked salmon going into the smoker is no different than stocked trout going into the smoker.

Great job on the C&R...

It angers me to no end how so many people view landlocked salmon in NJ as a put and take resource the way they do trout.

What most don't understand is that NJ does not crank out production of these fish the way they do trout at the Pequest Hatchery. In 2018 so far, NJ F&W has stocked over 600,000 trout.

All of the landlocked salmon NJ stocks we receive as fingerlings from the state of Massachusettes as part of a trade agreement for supplying them with pike fingerlings. In a given year, we only get what Mass. can afford to give us. If their hatchery has a bad year, we may only get a few hundred fish total (as in 2017 where the total was less than 700). On a good year, it can be a few thousand up to maybe 3,000 or 4,000 fish with closer to 2,000 seeming to be the average. These fish are then raised indoors at the Hackettstown Hatchery until the time they are stocked. As mentioned in a previous post, it is believed that there is no reproduction in NJ waters. .

Although it is a persons right to keep a legal size fish, more people need to be conservation minded about this species in our state. It doesn't take all that much pressure to wipe out 2,000 fish in only 3 waterbodies as opposed to 600,000 trout that are much more spread out. Unfortunately, with the pressure these fish are starting to receive, trophy sized fish will be very few and far between. This is currently a very limited resource and why talk of expanding this species to additional waterbodies isn't currently viable until we are able to secure and raise many more fish which to my knowledge isn't currently on the radar. Any fisd going in additional water bodies are less fish going in the traditionally stocked ones.

[AndyS]

I would put the LL in the smoker and let a Brown Trout swim away.
Everyone has their own opinions on this. F&G just killed 1,100 Brown Trout, how do you think I feel about that.

[dakota560]

Since I started the thread just want to chime in. First thanks for keeping it civil as these topics sometimes go south. I've only met Andy once but having met him and knowing the work he does with clean ups there's probably not many more conservation minded than he is. At the same time, personally I feel the same way about the fishery as Uglystick's post but completely agree as long as an angler is abiding by the regulations it's ultimately a personal choice to retain or practice C&R. One of the days I was fishing, there were three kayakers fishing and combined they kept 4 LL's. One was loaded with eggs as the fellow cleaned it on the shoreline when they hauled out. It bothered me to see but it's well within their rights to do so, again personal choice. Not sure if they're reproducing or not, I'm pretty sure they're capable if the right habitat exists. I've caught land locked salmon years ago in Maine from Sebago and Moosehead lakes and know how large they can grow. State record in Maine is 22.8 lbs from Sebago. You're both right in your opinions so this isn't a right or wrong discussion. Personally I'd like to see NJ protect these fish and increase the size limit significantly. In one of the four lakes stocked the possession limit is 12" which based on the effort NJ is making to establish the fishery to me is counter-intuitive. Since most if not all fish stocked are already over that size, it basically means in that lake their effectively is no size limit unless natural reproduction is occurring. But those are the regulations in place and in many cases the regulations dictate behavior. The established size and possession limits might factor in efforts to maintain adequate forage supply (herring) in the designated lakes in the program. Balance is important with all fisheries so who knows. Either way, I hope this fishery flourishes as the thought of double digit salmon roaming around in a handful of NJ lakes sounds pretty awesome.

[dakota560]

I would put the LL in the smoker and let a Brown Trout swim away.
Everyone has their own opinions on this. F&G just killed 1,100 Brown Trout, how do you think I feel about that.

Unless it was cost prohibitive and especially since the state is no longer raising and stocking brown trout, I also wondered why they couldn't have relocated the browns after electro-shocking them. It's my understanding electro-shocking doesn't kill them and if so why not figure out a way of transporting them to a new location. Shame to kill that many browns but again don't know the details so I'm guessing and hoping there was a legitimate reason.

[thmyorke1]

I think the noticeable pressure lls have been gettimg will improve the fishery; f&w sees this and has already responded by stocking new bodies if water right?

Best to mention a better limit at fisheries forum?


Unless it was cost prohibitive and especially since the state is no longer raising and stocking brown trout, I also wondered why they couldn't have relocated the browns after electro-shocking them. It's my understanding electro-shocking doesn't kill them and if so why not figure out a way of transporting them to a new location. Shame to kill that many browns but again don't know the details so I'm guessing and hoping there was a legitimate reason.

Taking a look at Rinehart's access; only the trail from hacklebarney connects to the lowest end. No trail or roads follow the river, in the middle of the woods, and ontop of that rocky gorge terrain. All over two miles. I'd say it was pretty illogical to escort browns out. Would probably be easier to raise a thousand brown trout fingerlings in a hatchery than come up with a plan to haul out that many tiny fish.

[OMC]

I have been fishing for LLS for the past few years and for the most part release every fish caught. Every now and then I may keep a couple which I believe is fine, but if we want to create a really good fishery these fish need to be released. They are in most cases very easy to catch when first stocked and on the smaller size. The smaller LLS really don't have much fight to them and flop around on the surface. However for anyone that hasn't hooked into a larger LLS let me tell you this they fight great. These fish hit, run and jump like no other fish we have in our waters. They put the pitiful rainbows that are now stocked in our waters to shame. To be able to experience the way these great fish fight they must be released. If you want to eat fish keep the shitty rainbows.

BTW if Fish and Game is reading this bring back the BROWNS !

[jrock]

I would like to start out by saying nj fish and game is doing a phenomenal job in our state providing us with so many fishing opportunities. That being said I would also like to say I have fish the great lakes and finger lakes for LL's for many years. And my personal opinion nj will never have a true LL fishery we just dont have the habitat for it. Again no knock on fish and game they are doing great with the LL's for what they have to work with. It's just not worth the time and energy for them to go so hard on a fishery that just wont be what it is just a few hours drive north of here. Even if you make it 100 percent catch and release sure you will probably have some more trophy size fish swimming around but again our water bodies will always limit the maximum capacity of the fishery. If your really into catching a nice sized LL I suggest taking a 4 hour drive up to cayuga lake NY, in February or March and troll flat line stickbaits along the shore at app. 2 mph with planer boards. You are almost guaranteed to catch a LL over 5 pounds. And a 8-10 pounder is not so far fetched. Believe it or not I had a triple header of 7-8 pounders on doing this once. Again not a knock on nj fish and game it just is what it is cayuga is a giant fertile natural lake with tons and tons of forage. A couple of guys taking a few LL out of one of our lakes is not gonna make that big a difference.

[OMC]

I think we are talking about NJ lakes not NY and it makes no sense to compare the two.
I have caught some very nice LLS right here in NJ which is great with the largest going right around 7lbs and released. The point that some of us were making is that there aren't that many stocked so instead of taking your limit each time just let some go.